OTW Fannews: Fandom Effects

• Film School Rejects hosted an article discussing how fandom is affecting movie media sites. "The upsides to all of this are obvious if you’re the kind of fan who loves scoops, behind-the-scenes rumors, set photos, and every element of The Possible. The downsides are less obvious...The first is that conversations about older movies (including stuff from way, way back in 2014) are muted, and, in some cases, harder to find...The second is that we’re all asking to be lied to. In the past decade, movie news has devolved from done deals to rumors."
• The L.A. Review of Books discussed the relevance of YA literature to media literacy. "Authors and filmmakers know that young people don’t just consume; they make stuff, too. So featuring characters who create content themselves is a key to attracting the attention of young readers and viewers" which should lead parents and teachers to "think about how such stories guide young people to think about their private use of multimedia. What messages do they send about such use, about how young people should be thinking about both media consumption and media making?" Professor Jonathan Alexander concludes, "If you’re a kid, keep an open mind about what you’re reading and watching. And think about making your own movies to share your ideas and keep the conversation going."
• The Providence Journal in Rhode Island, U.S. discovered how widely media can spread when they ran a Lovecraft fanfic contest. "We received nearly 200 responses, including submissions from as far away as Brazil, Pakistan and New Zealand. In a frightening sign of Lovecraft’s international stature, we received submissions from more than a dozen foreign countries, including multiple entries from England (4), Italy (3), Australia (2) and Germany (4). Individual Lovecraft fans in France, Mexico, Scotland, India and Trinidad & Tobago also submitted stories. Closer to home, we received submissions from 27 states, three Canadian provinces and one U.S. commonwealth (Puerto Rico)."
• Tech Insider discussed the spreading use of the term shipping. “'Kids often use the word when talking about [characters from] TV shows and movies, but it’s also become a slang term for describing any two people that you want to get together'...In a sense, some people were shipping over 100 years ago, according to Know Your Meme. They just weren't calling it that. In 1913, the book 'Old Friends, New Fancies' featured characters from Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' re-imagined in new relationships.

How have you seen fans changing language and media? Write about it in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.